The Mayor of Montreal visited Lyon in May 2014 in the context of the Lyon-Montreal partnership.

Description

Mr Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montreal, and president of the Metropolitan Community of Montreal, visited Lyon from 10 to 12 May 2014, before travelling to Paris and Brussels in the context of an institutional, economic and urban mission.

The Mayor of Montreal – North America's largest French-speaking metropolis – and the Mayor of Lyon want to reinforce the exchanges between the two cities and to stimulate investment possibilities for businesses.

To relaunch the partnership, a number of priority approaches have been identified:

culture (in particular the festivals of light held in both cities),

smart cities,

economic development,

continued exchanges in the world of academia and research, due principally to the Entretiens Jacques Cartier, the next of which is to be held in Montreal in October 2014,

politics of the city and integration,

transport,

francophonie.

This cooperation is strategic: As Mr Collomb explains: "Montreal is a gateway for Lyon to North America, and Lyon is a gateway for Montreal to Europe".

The Mayor of Montreal's interest in major urban projects prompted him to visit in particular the district of the Confluence, the Musée des Confluences and the banks of the Rhône, and also the public transport network. Mr Coderre was accompanied by the presidents of the Société des Transports de Montréal and Montréal International (agency for economic development and attractiveness) who met business leaders in Lyon.